The D.O.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The D.O.C. | ||
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 The D.O.C.'s debut album, No One Can Do It Better
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Tracy Lynn Curry | |
| Born | June 10, 1968 | |
| Origin | Houston, Texas West Dallas, Texas Compton, California |
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| Genre(s) | Hip hop West Coast Hip Hop Dirty South |
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| Occupation(s) | Rapper, ghostwriter | |
| Years active | 1987 - Present | |
| Label(s) | Macola (1987-1988) Ruthless (1988-1991) Death Row (1992-1994) Giant (1995-1999) Silverback (2000-present) |
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- For the Italian food quality label, see Denominazione di Origine Controllata.
The D.O.C. is the stage name of Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), an American rapper born in Houston, Texas then later lived in Compton, California, to join the creative force behind the rap group N.W.A. Prior to his move, he was a member of the Fila Fresh Crew.
The D.O.C. was thought of as one of rap's most promising new voices because of his association with N.W.A. and was at the height of his career after penning the lyrics and contributing vocals to Eazy E's debut and the group's revolutionary album, Straight Outta Compton. He was recruited as Ice Cube's replacement as a writer when Ice Cube briefly left the group to attend an architecture course in Arizona (MC Ren was recruited as Ice Cube's replacement vocalist). When Ice Cube returned, the group remained impressed enough with The D.O.C.'s work to keep him on board. It was the friendly competition between Ice Cube and The D.O.C. that elevated N.W.A's lyrics to new levels of sophistication. The name D.O.C came about due to the association with the group N.W.A (Niggaz With Attitude). "When Dre was in a group called the World Class Wreckin’ Crew--this was before I met Dre, I met Dre later on—Dre had a song on one of the Wreckin’ Crew album called "Surgery." My given name is Tracy and my friends call me Tray. When that song came out whenever we playing around that’s what people would say, Dr Dre. When I started rapping, I used to call myself Dr. T. Then T went to Doc T. When I finally got with NWA I figured we’re all in this bitch together if y'all got periods then I got periods. Y’all N.W.A., now I’m D.O.C." [1]
In 1989, The D.O.C. then released his Dr. Dre produced debut album No One Can Do It Better. Dre's production was similar to his production work for N.W.A at the time, but he also included one rap/rock-song and a reggae-influenced track. At a time when virtually every well known California rapper was releasing gangsta rap albums, The D.O.C. released an LP with lyrics that more closely resembled the styling of East Coast lyricists. The D.O.C. also wrote many lyrics and appeared on skits for NWA. The D.O.C. is reported to have written most of NWA's second album Efil4zaggin. If one listens to the metre of the lyrics one can hear the D.O.C. writing in most of the songs. The other writer for the album was MC Ren. The D.O.C. went on to introduce Dr. Dre to Suge Knight, and he helped mold the career of Snoop Dogg.
Not long after his debut album was released, his vocal cords were severed in a car accident, which would prove to be an insurmountable obstacle for his continued rap career. However, The D.O.C. remained important to Dr. Dre. He used his talents as one of the writers for Dr. Dre's groundbreaking album The Chronic, contributing to the tracks "Lil' Ghetto Boy," "A Nigga Witta Gun," and "Bitches Ain't Shit." In fact, the liner notes to The Chronic say "I want to give a special shout out to The D.O.C. for talking me into doin' this album." The D.O.C. also worked on Snoop Dogg's debut album Doggystyle.
When The D.O.C.'s voice returned (although severely altered), he considered a return to rapping. Dr. Dre was skeptical that The D.O.C. was capable of creating successful records with his damaged vocal cords and wanted to keep the DOC as his ghostwriter. In 1996, The D.O.C. moved to Atlanta, Georgia, taking a number of partially recorded tapes belonging to Dr Dre which contained the basis for the Ice Cube/Dre album Helter Skelter, which was suppose d to be Dre's follow up to The Chronic. DOC recorded his sophomore album with producer Erotic D. The record, Helter Skelter was released to spite Dr. Dre, but it sold poorly. The D.O.C. rapped in a raspy, almost demonic voice. Most of the album's lyrics were by the DOC for Dre and intended for the unreleased Ice Cube/Dr. Dre collaboration. While in Atlanta, The D.O.C. also made major contributions to MC Breed's album The New Breed.
After a major lawsuit, Dr. Dre and The D.O.C. reconciled their differences and once again became friends. Dr. Dre invited The D.O.C. to the 2001 recording sessions. D.O.C. brought his new protege along, a West Dallas rapper named Six-Two. Six-Two appeared on two of the final album's songs. The D.O.C. and Six-Two were also part of the Up In Smoke Tour. The D.O.C. is credited as one of the writers of the track "Housewife."
In 2003, The D.O.C. released his third album The Deuce. The album was more of a compilation than a solo release. The D.O.C. did not contribute many vocals to the record. Rather, many of the tracks had appearances by Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, and Nate Dogg, and the D.O.C.'s proteges Six-Two, Cadillac Seville, and El Dorado take most of the spotlight.
The D.O.C. is still a ghostwriter for several high-profile artists. It was reported that he is contributing lyrics to Dr. Dre's forthcoming album Detox. [citation needed] More recently he has done writing for Snoop Dogg on his new album Blue Carpet Treatment. It's confirmed that he has written That's That with Snoop.
The D.O.C. also made a guest appearance in Shyne's music-video for the song "That's Gangsta", which samples the same beat D.O.C. uses for his first hit "It's Funky Enough", Foster Sylvers's Misdemeanor.
Erykah Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma, in her Dallas home; the father is reportedly The D.O.C.[2]
In 2004 It's Funky Enough appeared on popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on West Coast hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos.
[edit] Discography
| Album cover | Album information |
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No One Can Do It Better
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Helter Skelter
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Deuce
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[edit] Guest appearences
[edit] External links
- The D.O.C. Interview from ThaFormula.com
- The D.O.C. Interview from MurderDog.com
- The D.O.C. at All Music Guide
- The D.O.C. lyrics on OHHLA.com (NOTE: Lyrics on this website are supplied by fans, not anyone officially affiliated with the artist. Consequently, not all lyrics are accurate)
| Album cover | Information |
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Parental Discretion Iz Advised
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The $20 Sack Pyramid
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Serial Killa
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Bridgette |
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Guerilla Pimpin' |
